The Bulldogs and Gophers open the 2018-2019 season this Saturday night at Amsoil Arena. Will the Bulldogs add to their eight straight wins vs the Gophers?

gopher wes

10-02-2018, 11:40 AM

Will the Bulldogs add to their eight straight wins vs the Gophers?
Yes. I'm not even sure why the Gophers are bothering to make the trip.

Duluth wins 20-0 on Saturday. tDogs feel bad on Sunday and keep it under double digits to keep the 8 Gopher fans in attendance at Mariucci from booing too loudly, 9-0 UMD.

UMD21

10-03-2018, 12:08 PM

These two teams have a history of spoiling banner night, so have to side with history. I don't expect Gophers can sweep though so predicting two wins for the road teams.
Much higher expectations rest on the Bulldogs this year but I think with a new coach and relaxed expectations, Gophers might find some spark and chemistry and put together quite a year. Too bad this series is played early in the year and not later

D2D

10-03-2018, 01:15 PM

Too bad this series is played early in the year and not later
Yeah, and really too bad the two exhibition games are being played BEFORE the series against the defending national champs. :rolleyes:

Biddco

10-04-2018, 12:36 PM

UMD will be jacked up for this series. Will the gophers get up for the game? They have had that problem before. I think split with a pair of home wins.

gopher wes

10-04-2018, 12:54 PM

Will the gophers get up for the game? They have had that problem before.
Sarcastic response: Sounds like a personal problem.
Serious response: No.

Have to figure a close bulldog sweep. There's a big question around just who for MN will put the puck in the net. Maybe Pitlick, but that's not going to win these games.

Slap Shot

10-04-2018, 04:36 PM

Have to figure a close bulldog sweep. There's a big question around just who for MN will put the puck in the net. Maybe Pitlick, but that's not going to win these games.

Gates and Sheehy had as many goals last year as Rem and Sheehy was never really fully healthy was he? Don't sleep on Ranta either even as an incoming Fr.

No they don't return a lot of goals but they severely under-performed on the PP last season which is something I don't think will repeat and look for guys like Rossini and Phillips take a step forward on the blueline offensively. I think they'll be much more gritty this year and get a few more greasy goals. Word from camp is guys like Phillips and Sheehy have added weight and Brinkman, and Brinkman, Wait and Ranta have done the same since arriving for their very first practice.

dxmnkd316

10-04-2018, 08:55 PM

I donít understand the title. I didnít realize the gophers were playing themselves.

Koho

10-05-2018, 06:29 AM

UMD will be jacked up for this series. Will the gophers get up for the game? They have had that problem before. I think split with a pair of home wins.

Wish these games were played after both teams had a little more time to play together. Never know what you'll get from a team this early in the year, and tickets aren't exactly cheap. A lot of people are thinking the new scenery of a coaching change will get MN playing better this year relative to expectations based on their talent level on paper. But I'm not sure how much of a different system a new staff can impose on a team after so little time with them. Might show some signs of disarray this weekend.

gopher wes

10-05-2018, 09:15 AM

Gates and Sheehy had as many goals last year as Rem and Sheehy was never really fully healthy was he? Don't sleep on Ranta either even as an incoming Fr.

No they don't return a lot of goals but they severely under-performed on the PP last season which is something I don't think will repeat and look for guys like Rossini and Phillips take a step forward on the blueline offensively. I think they'll be much more gritty this year and get a few more greasy goals. Word from camp is guys like Phillips and Sheehy have added weight and Brinkman, and Brinkman, Wait and Ranta have done the same since arriving for their very first practice.
Lots of people, including the new coach, are high on Sheehy. Especially being healthy this year which it sounds like he was not for the better part of last season.

The D and the PP are the big questions for me.

Slap Shot

10-05-2018, 12:05 PM

fwiw Vegoe has said good things about Nanne and Stucker. Nanne make some mistakes last year to be sure but he didn't play a game for 2 full years.

UMD21

10-05-2018, 01:27 PM

Wish these games were played after both teams had a little more time to play together. Never know what you'll get from a team this early in the year, and tickets aren't exactly cheap. A lot of people are thinking the new scenery of a coaching change will get MN playing better this year relative to expectations based on their talent level on paper. But I'm not sure how much of a different system a new staff can impose on a team after so little time with them. Might show some signs of disarray this weekend.

He was the ideal hire. Experience coaching world juniors team with a bunch of UMD players and talent from all schools..Lucia got lazy. Did he lose it himself, or did B1G turn him into a drone? Getting his *** slapped around by a school from Indianaó****someoneís gotta have some state pride. Motzko will be a boone. Donít forget, he took SCSU from like 0-11 in NCAAs to a strong .500

5mn_Major

10-05-2018, 02:37 PM

fwiw Vegoe has said good things about Nanne and Stucker. Nanne make some mistakes last year to be sure but he didn't play a game for 2 full years.

Nanne gave a glimpse of what he was capable last year. I bet he has a big year.

Gates and Sheehy had as many goals last year as Rem and Sheehy was never really fully healthy was he? Don't sleep on Ranta either even as an incoming Fr.

No they don't return a lot of goals but they severely under-performed on the PP last season which is something I don't think will repeat and look for guys like Rossini and Phillips take a step forward on the blueline offensively. I think they'll be much more gritty this year and get a few more greasy goals. Word from camp is guys like Phillips and Sheehy have added weight and Brinkman, and Brinkman, Wait and Ranta have done the same since arriving for their very first practice.

Hope so...as the Don said, the team goes as does the seniors.

SteveO

10-05-2018, 03:37 PM

I think we'll see a different Gopher team take the ice this season against in-state rivals like UMD than in previous years. Motzko has been busy this past two weeks integrating his systems into the Gopher playbook.

“We’re doing two things, trying to get used to each other but we want to get a strong foundation in. We’re pushing our systems right now a little bit faster than I want to because we’ve got to play those two games.”

UMD lost some key offensive power from last season, while the Gophers although down in scoring last season return most of their top scorers. So I would give the edge to the Gophers on offense in this series.

However, the Gophers are clearly more inexperienced on D. UMD returnees on D like sophomores Scott Perunovich (11-25-36), Mikey Anderson (5-18-23) and others may comprise one of the best D corp in the NCHC...advantage UMD. I'm guessing we may see Schierhorn and Robson alternating in net in this series. Both need to have very good seasons for the Gophers to be successful going forward. UMD netminder Hunter Shepard (25-14-1, 1.90 GAA, .925 SV %) really performed well last season, especially in FF.

The Gophers are 1-9-1 vs. UMD over the past 11 games inc. what is currently a eight game losing streak vs UMD that stretches back to the 2014-15 season. I expect that streak to be broken this weekend.

D2D

10-05-2018, 06:30 PM

I think we'll see a different Gopher team take the ice this season against in-state rivals like UMD than in previous years. Motzko has been busy this past two weeks integrating his systems into the Gopher playbook.

UMD lost some key offensive power from last season, while the Gophers although down in scoring last season return most of their top scorers. So I would give the edge to the Gophers on offense in this series.

However, the Gophers are clearly more inexperienced on D. UMD returnees on D like sophomores Scott Perunovich (11-25-36), Mikey Anderson (5-18-23) and others may comprise one of the best D corp in the NCHC...advantage UMD. I'm guessing we may see Schierhorn and Robson alternating in net in this series. Both need to have very good seasons for the Gophers to be successful going forward. UMD netminder Hunter Shepard (25-14-1, 1.90 GAA, .925 SV %) really performed well last season, especially in FF.

The Gophers are 1-9-1 vs. UMD over the past 11 games inc. what is currently a six game losing streak vs UMD that stretches back to the 2014-15 season. I expect that streak to be broken this weekend.
Good comments. Given the abysmal record the Gophers have had against the Dogs the past 11 games I would be very happy with a split this weekend. Hope the players want more.

Biddco

10-05-2018, 09:58 PM

I donít understand the title. I didnít realize the gophers were playing themselves.